Addis Ababa, the capital and largest city of Ethiopia, is a dynamic metropolis located in the geographic center of the country. Situated on a well-watered plateau surrounded by hills and mountains, it stands as the eleventh-largest city in Africa, with an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census.
A City of "New Flower": Historical Roots
Only since the late 19th century has Addis Ababa been the capital of the Ethiopian state. Its immediate predecessor, Entoto, was situated on a high tableland and was found to be unsatisfactory because of extreme cold and an acute shortage of firewood. The founding history of Addis Ababa dates back to the late 19th century by Menelik II, Negus of Shewa, in 1886 after finding Mount Entoto unpleasant two years prior.
Empress Taitu, wife of Emperor Menilek II (reigned 1889-1913), persuaded the emperor to build a house near the hot springs at the foot of the tableland and to grant land in the area to members of the nobility. The city was thus founded in 1887 and was named Addis Ababa (“New Flower”) by the empress.
In 1886, settlement began in the valley south of the mountain in a place called Finfinne, a name which refers to the presence of hot springs. The site was chosen by Empress Taytu Betul. Initially, she built a house for herself near the "Filwuha" hot mineral springs, where she and members of the Shewan Royal Court liked to take mineral baths. Empress Taytu persuaded Emperor Menelik II to move the capital from cold and windy Entoto to the plains below and named the new city Addis Ababa.
By the next year large plots of land (Amharic: ሰፈር , sefer) had been allocated to the major nobility, other important personages and some churches. The local Oromo tribes had their lands confiscated and many were displaced.
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The city was originally founded as a katama (royal camp), with the sefer laid out mirroring an army on the march. The lands of Fitawrari Habte Giyorgis were furthest to the west, while the Imperial Palace of Menelik was in the centre, bracketed on each side by the leaders of the left (Qeñazmach) and right (Grazmach) wings of the army. The rear or area to the east of the palace was allocated to a Dejazmach or another prominent noble. Many of these original lands can still be traced back to the original military grants. Each sefer continued to be settled by each noble's retainers and slaves, usually brought from the lands he controlled. Among those ethnic groups, the Amhara, the Oromo, the Gurage, the Dorze and the Tigrayans would come in the largest numbers.
The town grew by leaps and bounds. The earliest urban dwelling typically made up of hut cluster. Early residential dwelling was typically made of circular huts; walls were constructed with mud (Amharic: ጭቃ, cheka) and straw plastered on a wooden frame and thatched roofs. Addis Ababa's growth rate began with early rapid urbanization without preplanned intention. This was the time where nobilities embarked on concentrated permanent settlement, and altered by social patterns; i.e. each neighborhoods (sefer) was located on higher grounds, noncontiguous from adjacent settlements. The early social milieu contributed the contemporary admixture of a classic neighborhood.
Moreover, the city held strong social organization patterns prior to the Italian invasion. According to Richard Pankhurst (1968), the city's accelerated population growth was due to factors of provisional governors and their troops, the 1892 famine, and eventually the Battle of Adwa. Another includes the 1907 land act, municipal administration in 1909, and a railway and modernized transportation system boom beginning in the 20th century, culminating in continual growth.
Gebrehiwot Baykedagn took major administrative division post, and Addis Ababa-Djibouti railways in 1916, which also connects Addis Ababa with French Somaliland port of Djibouti.
Ras Tafari Mekonnen, later became Emperor Haile Selassie I was the most powerful figure in the city following his appointment in 1917. He transformed the city by recognizing the importance of modernization and urbanization, and he distributed wealth to support emerging class.
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By 1926 and 1927, a large-scale economic revolution occurred, a surplus of coffee production began growing as a result of capital accumulation. Profiting from this wealth, the bourgeoisie benefited the city by constructing new, stone-fitted houses with imported European furniture and an importation of the latest automobiles, and expansion of banks across the locales. The total register of automobiles were 76 in 1926 and went to 578 in 1930.
The first popular road transportation opened between Addis Ababa and Djibouti, about 156 km (97 mi) northward in the direction of Dessie. Initially intended to connect Italian occupied Assab with Addis Ababa in the Italo-Ethiopian Treaty of 1928, the road was considered for motor vehicle travel.
In 1930, the Emperor was crowned and proceeded with new technologies and building infrastructure.
Addis Ababa During Italian Occupation
Addis Ababa was the capital of Italian East Africa from 1936 to 1941. Following all the major engagements of their invasion, the Italian troops from the colony of Eritrea entered Addis Ababa on 5 May 1936. Along with Dire Dawa, the city had been spared the aerial bombardment (including the use of chemical weapons such as mustard gas) practiced elsewhere in Ethiopia. This also allowed its railway to Djibouti to remain intact.
After the occupation, the city served as the Duke of Aosta's capital for unified Italian East Africa until 1941, when it was abandoned in favor of Amba Alagi and other redoubts during the Second World War's East African Campaign. The Italian ambition regarding Addis Ababa was to create a beautified colonial capital city along with a new master plan launched by seven architects such as Marcello Piacentini, Alessandro Bianchi, Enrico Del Debbio, Giuseppe Vaccaro, Le Corbusier, Ignazio Guidi and Cesare Valle.
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Modern stone houses were built during this period, particularly in the areas of European residence, and many roads were paved. Other innovations included the establishment of a water reservoir at Gefarsa to the west and the building of a hydroelectric station at Akaki to the south.
Despite contradictory and different ideas for each other, the plan was intended to focus on the general architectural plan of the city. Two preparations were approved from the master plan: the Le Corbusier and Guidi and Valle. During an invitation to Mussolini, the French Swiss architect Le Corbusier illustrated the master plan in a guideline sketch involving a traversing route monumental structure by a grand boulevard across the city from north to south, as he extracted from his 1930-1933 Radiant City concept. His two counterparts, Guildi and Valle prepared the master plan in summer 1936 likely emphasizing fascist ideology with monumental structure and no native Ethiopian participation in designing sector.
In the aftermath, Addis Ababa suffered from economic stagnation and rapid population growth, the inner-city affected by urban morphology initiated by Italian occupation and the peripheral area were in urban sprawl.
In 1946, Haile Selassie invited famous British master planner Sir Patrick Abercrombie with goals of modelling and beautifying the city to become the capital for Africa. His careful master plan of a major traffic route was completed by segregating neighborhood units, as he extracted from his 1943 London traffic problem.
In 1959, the British consultant team named Bolton Hennessy and Partners commissioned an improvement of Abercrombie's 1954-1956 satellite towns. From the place, they did not incorporated outer area like Mekenissa and West of the old Air Port in the proposal, while Rapi, Gefersa, Kaliti and Kotebe proposed as outlet of Jimma, Ambo and Dessie respectively (the four regional highways). The Hennessy and Partners illustration would be physically larger to current size of Addis Ababa with surrounded satellite towns.
In 1965, the French Mission for Urban Studies and Habitat led by Luis De Marien launched another master plan responsible to create monumental axis through Addis Ababa City Hall with an extension across Gofa Mazoria in the southern part of the city.
There were only limited changes in Addis Ababa between 1941 and 1960, but development has been impressive since then.
A Hub for Education, Administration, and International Organizations
Addis Ababa is the educational and administrative centre of Ethiopia. It is the site of Addis Ababa University (1950) and contains several teacher-training colleges and technical schools. Also located in the city are the Museum of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies and the Yared School of Music, both of which are operated by the university; the National Library and Archives; palaces of former emperors; and government ministries.
Haile Selassie also helped to form the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, which was later dissolved in 2002 and replaced by the African Union (AU), which is also headquartered in the city, airports and industrial parks. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa founded in 1958, also has its headquarters in Addis Ababa. Addis Ababa was also the site of the Council of the Oriental Orthodox Churches in 1965.
Several international organizations have their headquarters in the city, notably the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the latter of which is located in Africa Hall.
Economic Activities and Trade
Addis Ababa’s manufactures include textiles, shoes, food, beverages, wood products, plastics, and chemical products. Most of Ethiopia’s service industries are also located in the city. Banking and insurance services are concentrated in Addis Ababa, and the nation’s major newspapers are published there.
The bulk of the export and import trade of Ethiopia is channeled through Addis Ababa on its way to or from the ports of Djibouti, on the Gulf of Aden, or Asseb, Eritrea, on the Red Sea. The city is also the collection and distribution centre for much of the country’s internal trade. The Mercato, located in the western part of the city, is one of the largest open-air markets in Africa. The Piazza in the central city and Bole Road to the southeast feature more expensive European-style shopping centres.
Transportation and Recreation
Addis Ababa is the hub of the nation’s transportation network. Several roads connect it to other major cities; the only railway runs to Djibouti. Formally designated recreational areas are limited, but there are many open spaces suitable for recreational purposes. A small zoo is located in a park near the university, and the lake region, which is a short drive to the south, has facilities for boating, waterskiing, bathing, and bird-watching. The most popular spectator sport is football (soccer). Basketball, volleyball, and other sports are also played, chiefly by school teams.
Political and Social Upheaval
In 1965, the first student march took place in response to the feudal imperial government of Haile Selassie, in which they chanted "Land for the Tiller", culminating in a Marxist-Leninist movement in Ethiopia. In addition, the 1973 oil crisis heavily impacted the city.
1,500 peasants in Addis Ababa marched to plead for food to be returned by police, and intellectual from Addis Ababa University forced the government to take a measure against the spreading famine, a report which Haile Selassie government denounced as "fabrication". Haile Selassie responded later "rich and poor have always existed and will, Why? Because there are those that work...and those that prefer to do nothing...Each individual is responsible for his misfortunes, his fate."
Students around the city gathered to protest in February 1974; eventually Haile Selassie was successfully deposed from office in 1974 by a group of police officers.
After the Derg came to power, roughly two-third of housing stock transferred to rental housing. The population growth declined from 6.5% to 3.7%. In 1975, the Derg nationalized "extra" rental structures built by private stockholders. As a result, the Proclamationon No. 47/1975 issued weakened buildings with small amount of living was administered by kebele units, while rental houses with large quality fell under Agency for Rental Housing Administration (ARHA).
Hungarian architect C.K. Polonyi was the first person to embark the city's master plan during the Derg period with assistance of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing. He used two formula concentrating an integration Addis Ababa with suburbs of rural areas and developing inner-city.
In 1986, the Italo-Ethiopian master plan was set up by 45 Ethiopian professional along with 75 Italian experts with 207 sectorial reports documented as references. The plan dealt with a balanced urban system and services in urban area such as water supply. Akaki incorporated to Addis Ababa to supply industrial and freight terminal services.
On 28 May 1991, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), a coalition party in course of overthrowing the Derg, seized Addis Ababa. They entered Menelik II Avenue and ordered a curfew for 24 hours. According to a witness, residents of Addis Ababa were ignorant and not terrified by the event, as the military told them everything was safe. The military went to central locations of the city (such as Hilton Hotel) and displayed banners "Peace, Solidarity, Friendship".
Contemporary Addis Ababa
A new constitution was adapted in 1994 and enacted a year later; while all cities in Ethiopia accountable rule by regional authority, Addis Ababa (Proclamation No 87/1997) and Dire Dawa (Proclamation No 416/2004) remained chartered cities, with mandates for self-governing and developmental centers.
The Proclamation No. 112/1995 legitimized privatization of many government buildings, with a few exceptions, and the kebele buildings remained in tenure.
From the end of 1998, new project was launched by Addis Ababa City Administration naming Office for Revision of Addis Ababa Master Plan (ORAAMP), covering from 1999 to 2003.
A controversial plan to expand the boundaries of Addis Ababa, by 1.1 million hectares into the Oromia special zone in April 2014, sparked the Oromo protests on 25 April 2014 against expansion of the boundaries of Addis Ababa. The government responded by shooting at and beating peaceful protesters.
This escalated to full blown strikes and street protests on 12 November 2015 by university students in Ginchi town, located 80 km southwest of Addis Ababa city, encircled by Oromia Region. The controversial master plan was cancelled on 12 January 2016.
United Nations Population Projections estimated the population of metro area of Addis Ababa to be 5,228,000 in 2022, a 4.43% increase from 2021.
During Abiy Ahmed's premiership, Addis Ababa and its vicinities underwent Beautifying Sheger. This project is aimed to enhance the green coverage and beauty of the city. In 2018, Abiy initiated a project called "Riverside" planned to expand riverbanks for 56 kilometres (35 mi), from the Entoto Mountains to the Akaki River.
In October 2022, the government launched Sheger City, an urban development model that contains 12 sub-cities, 36 districts and 40 rural kebeles with its seat located in Saris area in Addis Ababa. The project objective was to feed other satellite cities into Addis Ababa and contribute economic development within enclave.
La Gare: A New Urban District
Centered around the historic train station, La Gare is a vibrant new urban district in the heart of Addis Ababa. The district connects the rich traditions of Ethiopia with contemporary African design in a thriving, sustainable, and cosmopolitan neighborhood. The adaptively reused La Gare Station is a central feature of the plan, celebrating the city’s past and creating a historic backdrop for contemporary civic life.
The development concept is structured around three core components.
- First, a vibrant commercial heart combines small-scale retail with larger entertainment attractions that serve as anchors to the development. Covered and arcaded pedestrian streets protect visitors and residents from the city’s monsoonal rains and channel the energy of a marketplace into the public realm.
- Second, the central avenue creates a distinction between the lively retail heart and two self-contained residential areas, each anchored by a neighborhood park.
- Finally, a network of pocket parks, plazas, and pedestrian lanes stitch together these diverse character areas into a cohesive public realm.
From the grand lawn at La Gare Station to the dynamic Media Plaza to quiet neighborhood parks, these public spaces provide a variety of amenities for community gathering and daily life.
A fixture in the city for over a century, La Gare Station is a historic anchor to Addis Ababa’s rich past and a driver of the city’s vibrant future. The development builds on the cultural, spatial, and historic context to create a new heart for the city. The historic landmark’s location along Addis Ababa’s central axis positions the La Gare district as a recognizable public destination.
Welcoming public spaces and active streetscapes reinforce the importance of this district and create civic spaces for the city. The La Gare district’s materials, plantings, and opportunities for public art all intentionally reflect Ethiopia’s distinct culture.
The Central Axis of the retail core connects the Welcome Plaza to the district’s internal shopping destinations,serving as the primary public space of the district. The streetscape has active edges with flexible, ornamental pavement, and outdoor dining spaces.
A covered pedestrian retail zone at the center of the district connects public spaces and creates a focal point for eating, shopping, and socializing. Providing shelter from heavy seasonal rainfall, the covered retail street transitions to arcades along the facades of the buildings along neighborhood streets.
The media plaza bookends the retail core with an interactive art installation that adds a contemporary contrast to the historic components of the site. La Gare Station, the Custom House Plaza, the Media Plaza, and the neighborhood parks are knit together through lushly planted streets that prioritize bicyclists and pedestrians.
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